Hermann Berghaus

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Hermann Berghaus.

Hermann Berghaus (born November 16, 1828 in Herford , † December 3, 1890 in Gotha ) was an important German cartographer of the 19th century.

Live and act

Azimuthal polar projection
Geographical notices: title page of the first edition, 1855

Hermann Berghaus was born on November 16, 1828 as the son of a pastor in Herford. He attended grammar schools in Herford and Halle and in his free time he mainly occupied himself with his special talent, drawing. His uncle Heinrich Berghaus had founded an art school in Potsdam , where he trained his nephew to be a cartographer from 1842 to 1845. Here he learned not only the technique of mapping but also the various projection methods . After his apprenticeship, Berghaus became an employee in the cartographic institute of the publisher Wilhelm Perthes in Gotha , which at the time had an international reputation.

Its main task was to modernize large maps with additional sheets and to provide them with current data. Since the creation of Petermann's Geographische Mitteilungen , with which the current geographical discoveries were published, Berghaus has been producing the associated maps, which are characterized by an accurate and vivid reproduction of the ground relief. The Perthesche Anstalt owed its growing international reputation to the outstanding quality of its work and received orders from many foreign countries to supply school maps and school atlases. The wall maps he drew hung in many classrooms of that time. One of his most important works was the revision of the outdated physical handbook. In 1886, after long preparation, the first sheets were drawn. Berghaus could no longer see the completion of his work. After going blind in 1888, he died on December 3, 1890.

Honors

In recognition of his services to cartography, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the philosophical faculty of the University of Königsberg in 1868. In 1881 he received the gold medal for special achievements from the cartographers' congress in Venice and in 1885 Duke Ernst von Gotha appointed him professor. In 1883 he was elected a member of the Leopoldina .

Works

Besides many sheets for the Stieler and Sydow atlases, he drew the

  • Map of the Ötztal glacier area (Gotha 1861)
  • General map of the world in Mercator's projection (2nd edition, Gotha 1869, 4 sheets)
  • Chart of the world (10th edition, Gotha 1882, 8 sheets)
  • Physical map of the earth (Gotha 1874, 8 sheets)
  • Physical wall map of Europe (Gotha 1875, 9 sheets)
  • Map of the Alps (Gotha 1878, 8 sheets)
  • Physical wall map of Africa (Gotha. 1881, 6 sheets)

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Geography Infothek: Gothaer Geoscientist , accessed on December 23, 2012
  2. ^ Viktor Hantzsch:  Berghaus, Hermann . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 46, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1902, pp. 379-381.
  3. ^ Member entry of Hermann Carl Friedrich Berghaus at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina , accessed on May 23, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Berghaus, Hermann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German cartographer
DATE OF BIRTH November 16, 1828
PLACE OF BIRTH Herford
DATE OF DEATH December 3, 1890
Place of death Gotha